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Introducing Val Cashman, PA-C

The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia is delighted to welcome Val Cashman PA-C as a provider. A graduate of Pacific University’s School of Physician Assistant Studies, Val worked in neurosurgery and as a hospitalist before joining The Frida Center in March.

As a physician’s assistant, Val diagnoses conditions and illnesses, prescribes medications, treats patients, and provides follow-up care. She works directly under the supervision of Dr. Ginevra Liptan. This partnership brings both efficacy and efficiency to the patient-centered health care model practiced at The Frida Center. This relationship takes on other forms, too: for instance, Dr. Liptan and Val are currently collaborating on a fibromyalgia treatment guide for primary-care clinicians.

Val is particularly interested in the brain/body connection. She’s chosen to focus on fibromyalgia management because she feels that fibromyalgia is indicative of a larger problem: “Modern life is killing us!” Many of us lead hectic, fast-paced lifestyles, with dramatic results for our sympathetic nervous systems – and often for our overall health. Fortunately, contemporary research has provided evidence on many useful techniques for “unwinding” these learned responses to stress. In her work at The Frida Center, Val strives to incorporate the most advanced therapeutic techniques from a variety of sources, combining the latest medical research with new insights from alternative treatments like yoga, meditation, and myofascial release.

An aspect of fibromyalgia care that fascinates Val is that patients tend to be highly motivated to improve their health. She finds it both gratifying and rewarding that individuals living with such profound physical, mental, and emotional pain can still work so hard to find solutions that will help them lead vibrant, active lives.

To Val, fibromyalgia is like a journey to an unexpected destination. Imagine that you are traveling to England – but instead, the plane diverts to Holland, and there are no connecting flights. So how do you adjust to living in Holland instead of England? What changes do you need to make to your life that will help you live more comfortably in your new home? In the same vein, Val works with patients to help them discover new ways of living with fibromyalgia: an unfamiliar territory, full of challenges – but also full of opportunities.

In just a short time, Val has shown herself to be an indispensable member of our team here at The Frida Center, and we are grateful for her dedication and devotion to her work. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship together.